Headlights PT425

[SpringHollow]

Hi Bob,

Yes, I know. I did hook them up wrong on my first try but it did not seem to harm them. I can not remember what nomenclature they followed - if it was black for negative ground or white for "neutral". I believe white was power but i can not swear to it.

Ken

 

[woodlandfarms]

It is hard to hurt an LED. The reason they work is that they allow or restrict the flow of electrons (diode) so if you hook them up backward not much will happen. Assuming of course you are hooking to the correct voltage.

Carl

 

[Bob999]

Typical color coding is black is hot or power and white is neutral or ground.

 

[SpringHollow]

But on 12 V DC, black is ground and red is hot.

My guess is that i defaulted to the normal electrical standard and used the black wire for hot and that it was the other way around but i will check if i remember when i get home.

Ken

 

[BobRip]

OK, I hooked it up. Black is ground, white is +12 volts. Works fine.

Thanks for the input. Having burned out hundreds of components in my life, I tend to be careful.

 

[BobRip]

I just installed the Autoilumination 4.5 inch, 18watt, round work light on one side of the PT422. It is so much better that the other LED light I have. What a difference. I highly recommend the light, however, I still have not heard back from them about the polarity. It's been over 24 hours. I tried calling their phone and I got a message to use the Internet. I think they just have a phone to say they have one.

Anyway, great light.

 

[woodlandfarms]

Pictures? Or did I miss them?

 

[Marks481]

I still have not heard back from them about the polarity. It's been over 24 hours.

It is a diode (ie. electrical check valve).

If you hook it up backwards, no current will flow... unless you are talking about voltages more then ten times their ratings. You won't hurt it by hooking it up backwards, it just won't produce any light.

 

[ponytug]

I wouldn't worry about hooking up the wrong way- as your unit showed when you did hook it up correctly. As Tim points out, diodes are the electrical equivalent of a check valve.

Most of the LEDs that I'm familiar with won't handle reverse voltages of 10X (e.g. don't plug them in your wall outlet!), but all of the ones that I have used will handle being hooked up the wrong way at normal voltage, with no harm. (As a manufacturer, you have to count on mechanics occasionally doing dumb things- like hooking up a battery backwards, or getting the wires mixed up...)

Many LED lights, especially those for trailers, are hooked up with a full wave rectifier built in so that it doesn't matter how the wires are hooked up. The downside is that you loose power efficiency, and reliability, but you gain protection against misconnections-common in trailers, uncommon in trucks/tractors. YMMV.

All the best,

Peter

It is a diode (ie. electrical check valve).

If you hook it up backwards, no current will flow... unless you are talking about voltages more then ten times their ratings. You won't hurt it by hooking it up backwards, it just won't produce any light.

 

[BobRip]

It's working fine. So the polarity issue is over, but it would have been nice to hear from the company. I took some pictures, but have no way of setting my camera. The first three pictures look the same to me. The first picture is the low power LED only, the second is the Autolumination only, the third is both and the fourth is a looking at the lights. You can see the difference here. Of course I have one type on one side and a different type on the other. The Autolumination light is on the left side of the picture.

I have a separate switch on each light. Probably not really needed now, but I like control.

I am tempted to get one of the Autolumination lights for an emergency light in the house. I could put it on my Dewalt battery or run it off of a car battery. Kinda expensive for a flash light though.